Valvular filler spout



July 16, 1935.

INVENTOR MAL-@752;

Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES} PATENT lorr es 3,003,299 I "vALvULAR FILLER. 's'PoU'r Walter T. Etz el, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application October, 2, 1931, Serial Na. 566,465 25 Claims. (or; 226-127) This invention relates to filler spouts for dispensing fluids, and in particular, to-improvements-in valvular filler spouts.

The type or" valvular spouthereunder consid-. eration is especially applicable for dispensing volatile liquids as gasolineat filling stations and the like, where it is difficult, tedioiia'and ofttimes, particularly at night, impossible to accurately gauge the height of liquid column'in atank or container being filled. i

Then too, since the maximum return on .the investment often requires a minimum number of operators, and since business during theday and week comes more or less in spurtsf, each operator is oitenso pushed that he must employ every second or" his time, and in the=rush very irequently,'when told to "ffill. it up.,iruns the tank over. This latter condition not only antagonizes the driver of a recently polished'car, and adds to the fire hazards, butalso wastes the fluid being dispensed to the prejudice of either? the gasoline, oil, or liquid dealer; or theucar owner, himself. i i

The attendant or operator should have some form of dispensing mechanism that enables'him to positively bring the level of I'iuid in. a cone tainer to a desired height without the necessity of constant inspection and attention, and that will even enable him to take care of other duties while fluid or liquid is being dispensed, with the assurance that no loss, damage, or difficulty will occur in his absence.

Although there have been devisedior'ms of filling nozzles or spouts for the above-mentioned purposes, to my knowledge, none of them have come into general usage. Some have such .a needless complexity of parts that efiicient and consistent sensitiveness of operation is impos' sible; some are so crude that satisfactory operation is impossible; others require such a lengthy snout that the space limitations set by the ma, jority of automobile manufacturers in'the location of the tap, bung, or filler hole are clearly violated; others make no provision for varying the depth to which the tank, vessel, or receptacle maybe filled; still others require a constant'mo tivation in order that the shut-oil valve may ,opcrate at the proper instant, and, it has been an object of my invention to provide 'an improved form of valve that will overcome disadvantages of present devices. i .5

Another object of my invention has been? to devise a nozzle for dispensing liquids that is easyto manipulate'and handle... 1 r :=Anther object, of my inventionhasbeen; the

provision of a nozzle valve that is positive yet sensitive in operation. 7

A further object of my invention has beento. provide an efficient, effective, simple, and inexpensive form of valvular nozzle or filler spout. These and many other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing,-in which: Figure 1 is a vertical elevational view in section of an illustrative embodiment of my invention;.- Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in perspective showing a detail; and

, Fig. 3: is an end sectional View .of another detail taken along line III--III of Figure .1. i X In the drawing the numeral is representative of the valvular nozzle'or spout as a whole. Thenozzle l0 includes an inlet chamber, pipe, or

tube ll inwhich a valve I6 is inclinedly dis:

posed, an outlet or discharge chamber, pipe, or tube l2 having a. float chamber [2a therein, and a mount and guard system --263l having an operating mechanism mounted thereon.

Asshown, the inlet member H is divided into two compartments by an inclined partition mem: ber 14 that has a fluid passage or port l 5.there-, inwhose edges maybe tapered to better form a valve seat. In order, that the fiow of fluidthrough the partition l4 may be limited or con-.

trolled, a suitable overhead or upwardly opening valve l6 has been provided. The valve l6 may be of annular form having a cone-shaped or diverging bottom portion, an upper portion of hollow or sleeve construction, and amiddle portion grooved for receiving a. seat washer 18 of some suitable material such as fiber, leather, or soft metal. The upper portion of the valve 16 has a cup-like form to receive a spiral positioning spring l9 therein, and; is slidably disposed within and sealedfrom fluid in, the chamber I l by an inspec: tion cap 22 that isremovablysecured within up-w wardly projecting. threaded portions 2| of the inlet member II. The inspection plug 22 may be providedwith an ordinary form of wrench-flat in' order; that itmay be tightly secured in looking position, aswell'as readily removed thereafter. It will be noted that the spring I9 is protected from, the fluid by the plunger-like fit between the cup like valve sleeve and the inside of the cap l9.

The lower portion of the valve [6 has a stem I! extending downwardly therefrom; As seen, the member I I is provided with a downwardly in-. clined positioning extension through whichthe valve ;s;tem ;l1 extends. In order to providea fluid tight seal, I have inserted suitable packing 23 between the extension of the member H and the valve stem H. The packing 23 is adjustably held in place by a slidable packing sleeve 23a; the latter in turn, is adjustably held in a given position by a threaded packing cap 23b.

The right-hand or open end of the inlet tube II is internally threaded to receive the ordinary form of filler tube or hose (not shown); but the other end of the inlet tube I and the upper end of the discharge tube 12 may be threaded to receive an elbow 3| for connecting them to form a unitary and continuous member. Although, for the purposes of inspectionand repair, a threaded or. removable elbow may be preferable, any form' or fit may be employed. If desired, the discharge pipe |2 may be provided with a short length of flexible hose.

By devising two independently separate and parallel chambers or passages in the discharge spout l2, Ihave been able tonot only eliminate any dead end space, and to materially lessen the length of the spout, but in addition; to accurately gauge the amount of gasoline or other fluid fed into the tank being filled and to carry out such gauging practice between wide limits or between a wide scale or range.

The inner or float chamber |2a is sealed from the inside wall of the discharge spout .|2, in order that fluid can enter therein from the bottom only. A float 36, itself of cylindrical form and of floatable construction such as of thin metal, is disposed within the chamber. I20, to gauge or indicate the liquid level of the tank being filled and thus to indirectly control the operation of the valve I8. v i

The outer wall of the discharge pipe l2 may be suitably calibrated for difierent size tanks and in addition, may be calibrated to differentliquid levels, irrespective of actual liquid measure. To aid in this, a sliding ring 49' maybe mounted on the outer circumference of the outlet spout |2 and adjustably set by the thumb-screw '50 to register on the scale the liquid level or quantity desired. Of course, the ring 49 accomplishes its purpose by reason of the fact that it may be adaptedto abut against ahd'rest upon the edge of the filler hole and limit the depth or penetration of the lower end of the discharge pipe I2. In order that a position selected may be positively held, the thumb screw 5|], and if'desired, a series of set depressions 5| may be provided.

In order that the valve operating mechanism may be compactly, securely, and 'eflectively mounted in a proper position, I have furnished a mount frame and guard system designated by the numerals 25, 25, and 3i. Theinlet member I and the outlet member I2 are each respectively provided with mounting lugs extending from the outer walls thereof and at their point of juncture may be provided with a common lug 25 projecting therefrom. This frame or guard system is mounted to extend downwardly and inwardly from the inlet member H and side'- wise and inwardly from the outlet member |2 adjacent the angular bend therebetween; Suitable side enclosing plates 21, one'of which is shown, may be mounted over the mount and guard system in order to suitably protect the operating mechanism. In the drawing of 'Figure 1, the left-hand plate has been removed showing the mounting screw holeswhile only the right-hand plate isin place.

a The operating mechanism or lever system includes resetting mechanism, .trip mechanism,

lost-motion mechanism, balance mechanism, and float means. In the drawing oi Fig. l, the dotted lines represent the relationship of the various members when the operating mechanism has been moved by the float 36 into a valve-releasing or closing position; the full lines represent the relationship when the valve is set at an open position.

Since the spring l9 normally holds the valve IS in a closed position, it follows that the operating mechanism must compress the spring during normal periods of fluid flow andinust release it when the desired height of liquid in the container has been reached. In order to attain this result, a lever system has been devised which includes a valve operating or lever guide 24 having a practically straight portion upon which is formed a valve-stem seat (see Fig. l), the end of which is bifurcated and pivotally secured by pivot means to the centrally extending lug 25.

The other substantially half or the extending portion of the guide lever 24 is-upwardly concaved or curved to cooperate with the reset mechanism which includes a reset cam 28 rigidly secured on a pivot shaft 29 (see Fig. 2) which in turn, is pivotally supported between bifurcated ears 30 extending upwardly from the upper surface of the partition 3|. 7 v

In order that the operator may partially'rotate the cam 28 and raise the valve guide lever against. the resiliency of the spring l9 into a valve opening position, the right end of the shaft 29 (from the attendants normal position) extends through the right-hand cover 21 a distance sufficient to permit a knurled knob 32 (see Fig. 2) to be secured thereto.

As seen, the cam 28 has two oppositely projecting faces, the upper of which may be rounded to smoothly lift the curved portion or" the guide lever 24, the lower end of which is pointed, in order that during the period when the cam is in a raised position the lower end will extenddownwardly through a slot cut centrally through the longitudinal partition member 3| and cooperate with and reach into a complementary slot 35 cut in a catch lever 33. The catch lever 33 is pivotally secured within the upper portions of the bifurcations of a 'downwardlyextending leyer-mounting lug 34. The other, or the extending end portion of the catch lever 33 is adjust-ably connected to a lost motion link 40, which in turn, is adjustably connected to a balance lever 39.

As seen, the upper end of the connecting arm 40 is longitudinally slotted at 4| in" order that it may be'slidably pivoted in a lost motion manner to the catch lever 33. The elements 33, 40, and 39 may be pivotally connected together by cotter or any suitable form of pivot pins. The effective length of the slot 4| substantially represents the distance of slide of the connecting arm 40, and thus, represents the distance of rise of the balance lever 39 before the lower end of the slot 4| abuts the connecting pin of the catch lever 33 and pushes the end of such catch lever upwards about its pivot point to release the cam 28. The slot 4| may be lengthened or shortened or equipped with a variable slide, if desired, in order that any degree of lost motion between the travel of the slot 36 and the operation of the tripping mechanism may be attained.

The balance lever 39 is pivotally connected to the outer portions of the bifurcated mounting lug 34 and has an arm extending through a slot in'the float chamber I 211; this arm is suitably drilled out to receive a wire connector 38 sus-' pended in pendulum-like fashion therefrom-and supporting a float 3G. a The other end of the balance lever- 39 is' provided with quick-shift balance portion 43 having a cylinder whose capacity may be varied by moving an end cap 45 (see Figs. 1 and 3) in and out of the open end thereof and'which may be locked in place by a cotter pin extending through complementary holes. The balance-change medium may consist of a ball bearing 44, or some heavy liquid such as mercury. To accomplish an adjustment of the In order that the valve l6 may be snapped shut by the operator at any time, regardless of the amount of fluid in the tank being filled, a trip mechanism including a lever 46 is pivotally mounted to extend through the frame member 26. The lever 46 has a downwardly extending dog 41 adapted to cooperate with the cylinder 43 of the quick-shift mechanism. The upper end of this dog portion 41 is normally held out of abutment with the cylinder 43 and in. a raised position by a spiral spring 48 secured between the end thereof and the partition member 3|.

The operation of my invention will be briefly described. i

If. the slide ring 49 is employed, it is set to give the desired depth of liquid in the tank orreceptacle to be filled and the discharge nozzle 12 is placed in the filler hole.

Then, to set the valve l6 to an open from a closed position, the knurled knob 32 on the end of the reset cam shaft 29 is turned or partially rotated in a forward or clockwise direction until the lower face portion of the cam 28 slides into a set or locked relation with the slot 35 ofthe catch lever 33; this rotation causes the other end of the cam 28 to raise the guide lever 24 and the valve rod or stem I'l against the resiliency of the spring 19. I'hus, the spring l9, by reason of its compressive force, holds the cam 28 and the catch lever 33 in cooperating relationship until released, by other mechanism. Now, theflller nozzle I0 will permit a flow of fluid inthe direction indicated by the arrows through the inlet pipe ll, past the valve l6 and out through the I discharge pipe [2. i

ously,'of course, the valve [6 is snapped shut.

tration; yet many modifications', substitutions, omissions, and the like may. be made without departing from the spirit and scope'of myinvention; I i

- What Iclaim as Letters Patent is: '1. 'In a filler spout, the combinationof aresiliently" positioned valvular means disposed therein for limiting and controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular meanshavingan ex tending stem, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said spout and having a seat portion 00- operating with the extending'end of thestem of said valvular means, a reset cam mounted on the spout and having a face cooperating with said operating lever for raising itto a valve-opening position, and means cooperating with said cam for holding it in a valve-'open'ingposition;

2. The combination with a' filler spout,-of a valve positioned therein forcontrolling fluidjflow therethrough, saidvalve having a stem extending outwardly through saidspout, an operating lever pivotally mounted on saidspout andhaving a seat portion adjacent its pivot point cooperating with the'end of said extending valve stem, said operating lever having an upwardly concaved portion near the extending end thereof, a cam having a face cooperating-with said concave portion for raising said lever to a valve opening position, a catch lever for cooperating with an oppositeface of said cam for holding it in a raised position, and means for tripping said catch lever and releasing said cam, and means for then moving said valve to a closed position. 1 3. In a filler spout having inlet and outlet chambers, the combination of a resiliently-pressed valvular means operatively disposed within said inlet chamber for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valve having an extending stem for cooperating with a valve-opening lever; an operating mechanism, said mechanism including a catch lever, a balance lever connected tosaid catch lever, an operating and valve-opening lever cooperating with said valve stem, anda cam 00% operating with said operating lever. and said catch lever. 4. In a'filler spout, the combination of aresiliently positioned valve operative therewithin, said valve having a stem extending outwardly through said spout, an operating lever positioned on said spout, said operating lever having a portion contacting with said valve stem, a reset cam having a. smoothly curved cam face cooperating with said operating lever for raising said lever and opening said valve against the resiliency thereof, said cam having a relatively abrupt face at the otherend thereof, a catch means slotted for receiving the abrupt face of said cam and holding it in a moved position, a float movably supported in said nozzle andconnected to said catch means for releasing said valve when fluid in a container being filled has 7 reached a predetermined level, j 5. In a filler spout having inlet and discharge chambers, the combination of a spring-pressed valve operatively disposed within the inlet cham her for controlling fluid flow therethrough, a float chamber disposed withinand sealed from said discharge chamber, a float operatively disposed within said float chamber, operating means for raising said valve to an open position against the resiliency of the spring, said operating means be'- ing connected to said float for actuation thereby, said operating means including a balance system having a catch-release lever assisted by resiliency new and desire toxsecureby of the spring of said valve for from anopen position. V. 6. In a filler spout having inlet and discharge chambers, the combination of a spring-pressed 15 valve operatively disposed within the inlet chamber of said spout, said valve having a stem ex; tending therefrom, an operating lever piv'otally mounted onqsaid spout and having a face adja: cent its pivot point for seating the stem of said valve, said operating lever having an upwardly curvedoutline adjacent said seating face toward an end thereof, a pivoted catch lever, a reset cam having two opposite faces, one face of which being smoothly curved for raising said operating lever to avalve-opening position, the opposite face of said cam being sharp for cooperating with said pivoted catch lever and-holding said cam in a raised position, a lost motion link, apivotally positioned balance leverconnected to said catch closing said valve leverby said lost motion linlg, a float disposed within said discharge chamber and connected to said balance le'ver, so that when fluid in a container being filled-has reached a given height that said float, will move said balance lever, and subsequently, move said catch lever after lost motion of said lost motion means is taken up. v

7. In a filler spout having a body member and a discharge member, the combination of a springpressed valve operatively positioned in said body member, a lever forunseating said valve, means for holding said lever in a valve unseating posi tion, a float in'said discharge member, a slottedpivot means connected between said lever holding means and saidfloat for permitting said'float to rise without afiecting said lever-holding means, and means cooperating with said slotted pivot means for instantaneously releasing said leverholding means when said float reaches apredetermined level.

40 g 8. In a filler spout having inlet and outlet chambers, the combination of a valve operatively disposed in one of said chambers, a lever coopcrating with said valve for holding it in an open position, a'cam cooperating with said lever for holding it in a valve-openingposition, a float disposed within the other chamber, mechanism connected tosaid float andcooperating with said cam for releasing said lever and permitting said valve to close, said mechanism including lostmotion means permitting limited travel of said float without operating said cam, and including means for instantaneously releasing said cam when said float has traveled a predetermined distance. V

9. In a filler spout having inlet and outlet chambers, the combination of a valve mounted in the inlet chamber for limiting fluid flow into said discharge chamber, a lever for moving said valve to an open and unseated position, a cam for locking said lever in a' valve unseating position, a

catch member cooperating with said cam for holdingit in said locking position, a lost motion link pivotally connected to said catch member, a balance lever connected to said-lost motion link,,a float disposed in said discharge chamber and connected to one end of said balance lever, andmeans disposed within the other end of said balance lever for instantaneously releasing said cam when said float has reached a predetermined level. V 1 f I 10. In a filler spout, the combination of 9. Valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow. therethrough, said valvular means having an extendingstem, an operating lever at one end 7-5, piv tal yimpunted onthe spout and cooperating with the end of said extending stem, a cam having oppositely projecting faces and being pivotally mounted on the spout, one of the faces of said cam being curved to cooperate with an extending end portion of said operating lever for raising it to avalve-opening position, and means cooperating with the opposite face of said cam for locking said cam in position. 7 j a 11. In a filler spout, the combination of a val vular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having a stem extending therefrom, an operating lever at one end pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion adjacent said end for seating the end of said valve stem, means mounted on the spout and abutting with said lever for raising it to a valve-opening position, and means for holding said last-mentioned means in a valve-opening position.

12. In a filler spout, the combination of a valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, ayieldable means for holding said valve in a closed position, a stem extending from said valve, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion for seating said stem, and a cam for raising an extending end of said operating lever to a valve-opening position, "andmeans for holding said cam in a raised position. I 13. In a filler spout, the combination of .val-. vular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means, having an extending stem, an operating means pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion adaptedto cooperate with saidstem for'raising said valvular meansto an open position, a cam for holding said operating means in a valve-opening position, said cam having at leasttwo' faces one of which cooperateswith said operating lever for holding it in a valve-opening position-,and

a catch lever cooperating with theotlierface of position, said .carn having at least two facesone of which cooperates with said operating lever for holding it in a valve opening position, and a catch lever cooperating with the other face of said cam for holding saidcam in a raised position, said catch means being pivotally mounted on the filler spout and having a balance arm for releasing said cam. V r I 15. In a filler spout, the combination of val,- vular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having a stem extending therefrom, resilient means for holding said valvular means in a closed position, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said spout and having a seat portion adapted to. cooperate with the extending end of said-valve stem, a cam having a face adapted tocooperate with said operating lever for raising it to a valveopening. position, and means cooperating with said cam for holding it in a valve-opening position against the resiliency of saidresilient. means, and

means fortripping said last mentioned means, so

that said cam may be released and that said vale V vular means may be closed.

7 iii. In a filler spout. thecornbination of a resiliently-positioned valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stem, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion adapted to cooperate with said extending stem, a cam having a face adapted to cooperate with a portion of said operating lever for raising it about its pivotal point to a valve-opening position, catch means for holding said cam in a valve-opening position, said catch means being pivotally mounted and balanced on the spout, and means for upsetting the balance of said catch means and releasing the valvular means.

17. In a filler spout, the combination of a resiliently-positioned valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stem, a pivotally mounted operating lever, said lever having a portion adapted to cooperate with said extending stem, a cam having a face adapted to cooperate with said operating lever for raising it to a valve-opening position, a catch lever adapted to cooperate with another face of said cam for holding it in a valveopening position, said catch lever being pivotally mounted, and a lost-motion-release-means connected to an end of said catch lever.

18. In a filler spout, the combination of resiliently-positioned valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stem, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said spout and having a portion adapted to cooperate with said extending stem, and means adapted to abut with and raise said operating lever to a valve-opening position, and means adapted to abut with said raising means for holding it in a valve-opening position, a manual-trip mechanism, said holding means including means sensitive to the level of fluid in a container being filled for automatically releasing said valve-holding means.

19. In a filler spout, the combination of resiliently-positioned valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stern, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion adapted to cooperate with said stern, and means for moving said operating means to a valve-opening position, and a lever system including at least two levers connected together for holding said last-mentioned means in a valveopening position and for releasing said means When a container has been filled.

20. In a filler spout, the combination of a resiliently positioned valvular means disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stem, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said spout and having a portion adapted to abut said stem, a cam having a face adapted to abut said operating lever for raising it to a valve-opening position, and a balance lever system adapted to cooperate with said cam for holding it in a valve-opening position and for releasing it from such position, said balance lever system including an automatic shift weight for increasing the sensitivity of action thereof.

21. The combination in a filler spout, of a valve positioned therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valve having a stem extending outwardly through said spout, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said spout and having a seat portion adjacent its pivot point cooperating with the end of said extending valve stem, said operating lever having an upwardly curved portion near the extending end thereof, a cam having a face cooperating with said curved portion for moving said lever to a valve-opening position, a

catch means cooperating with an opposite face of said cam for holding it in a moved position, and means for tripping said catch means and releasing said cam.

22. In a filler spout having suitable inlet and discharge chambers, the combination of a valve mounted within the inlet chamber for limiting fluid flow into said discharge chamber, a lever for moving said valve to an open and unseated position, a cam for locking said lever in a valve unseating position, a catch member cooperating with said cam for holding it in a. locking position, a lost motion link pivotally connected to said catch member, a balance means connected to said lost motion link, a float operatively disposed in said discharge chamber and connected to said balance means, and said balance means including means for instantaneously releasing said cam from said catch member when said float has reached a predetermined level.

23. In a filler spout, the combination of a valve disposed therein for limiting and. controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valve having an extending stem, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the spout and having a portion cooperating with said valve means, a reset means for raising said operating lever about its pivot point and opening said valve means, and a plurality of pivotally inter-connected levers pivotally mounted on said spout, at least one of said levers cooperating with said reset means for releasing said reset means when the normal relationship of said levers is changed.

24. In a filler spout, the combination of a resiliently positioned valvular means disposed therein for limiting and controlling fluid flow therethrough, said valvular means having an extending stem, an operating lever pivoted to the spout and having a portion cooperating with said valve stem for moving said valve to an open position, a pair of levers pivoted to the spout, at least one of said levers being a balance lever, one of said pair of levers having means for releasing said operating lever from a valve-opening position, the other lever of said pair having a fluid-levelsensitive means for operating the first-mentioned lever of said pair.

25. In a filler spout, the combination of a resiliently positioned valve means operatively disposed therein for controlling fluid flow therethrough, an operating member for moving said valve means to an open position, and a balance lever pivoted to the spout, and a cam operatively associating said balance lever with said operating member, said balance lever having a hollow chamber, and a ball operatively disposed in said chamber for accentuating an off-balancing of said balance lever, and fluid-level-sensitive means for upsetting the balance of said balance lever and permitting said valve to move to a closed position.

WALTER T. ETZEL. 

